A French government official said on Tuesday that the EU emissions trading system (ETS) was unlikely to change without a global deal to decarbonise shipping fuels. “It is not desirable, even for recalcitrant member states, to maintain the current situation,” the official said.
The statement appears to be an olive branch to Greece and Cyprus, which have broken ranks with Brussels after Donald Trump threatened retaliation against countries backing the provisionally agreed IMO fuel deal.
Both Mediterranean maritime nations have been critical of the extension of the ETS to the shipping sector, warning of its impact on both ship operators and ports.
France wants the IMO deal approved “as soon as possible” and for the EU to advance as a united bloc to overcome US opposition, and now appears to see the offer of relief from EU carbon pricing as a way to get Athens and Nicosia back on board.
Critics have noted the EU carbon pricing scheme offers a perverse incentive for ship operators to take lengthy detours via non-European ports to reduce exposure to Europe’s carbon price – currently about €85 euros for every tonne of CO2 emitted. The price applies in full for passages between European ports, but is halved if the route begins or ends outside the EU.
‘Clear commitments’
According to the French government, however, a majority of EU countries are not currently willing to revise the ETS rules for ships.
This strengthens the case for adopting the IMO deal, while recognising that “clear commitments must be made on how to realign the regional system with the rules that may emerge from the multilateral framework”, the French official said.
“The challenge is that we move forward in unity with all European Member States and that we have a clear vision of how this Net-Zero Framework can work with the ETS – even if it means revising the ETS slightly,” the official said.
A situation must be restored in which European ports and shipowners are not put at a disadvantage compared with competitors outside the EU, the official said.
Greece and Cyprus derailed EU unanimity at an IMO meeting in London last year that was meant to rubber-stamp a provisional deal on new global fuel standards.
Under the IMO Net-Zero Framework, ship operators would have to pay fees when the fuels they use emit greenhouse gases above strict limits, while those switching to low-carbon alternatives would instead be rewarded.
(Euractiv, February 05, 2026)